Shenhe had already come to terms with everything and was willing to move forward. If Lu Heng kept hesitating, he'd be letting her down. He realized this was something that brought joy to both of them. Shenhe was happy, and so was he. Wasn't that a win-win?
"You look really happy," Shenhe said, her voice certain.
"Obviously," Lu Heng replied with a grin. "I'm the one reaping the benefits here."
"I'm happy too," Shenhe said. After a moment of reflection, she added, "And I think I'm kind of looking forward to it."
"Why's that?" Lu Heng asked, puzzled.
"Because I made you happy," she answered earnestly.
Lu Heng blinked, caught off guard. Made me happy?
"Thank you for teaching me so much and taking care of me," Shenhe continued, her tone unusually serious for someone who rarely spoke at length. "I don't have much to offer in return, so making you happy feels… good."
To Lu Heng, it might've been a small gesture, but to Shenhe, it carried weight. It meant that even without her red cords, her cursed fate wouldn't harm herself or others. As her emotions began to resurface, the shadows of her childhood—memories of her mother's death—grew heavier. She couldn't shake the feeling that her fate was somehow tied to it. There was no proof, yet her destiny seemed to repel those around her. The contradiction left her with a tangle of emotions, a quiet sorrow for the past.
"Don't dwell on it," Lu Heng said, reading her expression.
Shenhe shook her head. "I'm not worried about you."
She knew her emotions well enough now to avoid spiraling into old traumas. The sadness was faint, a fleeting echo of a pain she'd spent years letting go. Seeing her composure return, Lu Heng felt a wave of relief. Shenhe's emotional recovery was progressing better than expected, and it hadn't left her heart in turmoil.
After a moment of thought, he said, "It's about time we worked on teaching you some common sense."
Shenhe wasn't clueless, but her understanding of the world was often skewed. It wasn't a major issue, though—she was sharp enough to learn quickly. Having trained under Cloud Retainer, she only needed things explained once to grasp them. Sometimes, Lu Heng didn't even need to explain himself.
He delegated the task to the intelligent AI in his Civilization Core. Soon, Shenhe's phone displayed a chibi version of herself as an AI assistant.
"What's it for?" Shenhe asked, curious.
"It'll help you learn proper common sense over time," Lu Heng said. "But whether you want to learn is up to you. Also, until you've got the hang of things, it can assist you with answers in certain situations."
He showed her how it worked. Shenhe caught on quickly and asked, "Does it analyze my mental state to decide how to respond?"
"Something like that," Lu Heng said with a shrug. "It can't read your innermost thoughts, so there might be some discrepancies."
"I see," Shenhe said, intrigued. She fed some of her current thoughts into the chibi AI and tapped the voice button.
"I want to show you my legs," the chibi Shenhe chirped.
Lu Heng's expression froze. He turned to Shenhe, who nodded as if confirming a scientific hypothesis.
"It's exactly what I was thinking," she said with the seriousness of a researcher. "This makes things so much easier."
Lu Heng stared, dumbfounded. Is that how you're supposed to use it?
After a moment, he sighed. Fine, if it worked, it worked. At least having the AI say certain things felt less awkward than hearing them from Shenhe herself.
"Let's not get hung up on this," he said, shaking his head. "Try a different outfit sometime."
"Okay," Shenhe agreed, no longer fixating on whether to change clothes. Even if her outfit stayed spotless, wearing the same thing every day might make people think she couldn't afford variety.
Lu Heng had seen countless characters in Teyvat, each with outfits suited to different occasions. Take Ganyu, for example—she even wore office attire sometimes.
He couldn't help but marvel. Crossing into Teyvat was the best thing that ever happened to him. Even if he did nothing but look around, he felt like he could live longer just from the sheer joy of it. There was something about beauty that lifted the spirit and, by some unscientific logic, might even extend your life.
Teyvat was a strange place. Its technology was a patchwork—advanced in some areas, archaic in others. Yet when it came to fashion, it was cutting-edge. Even in Liyue, a nation that felt like ancient times, stockings were everywhere.
"Teyvat is paradise," Lu Heng said, his voice full of conviction. Coming here was the right call.
That evening, Lu Heng asked, "Yae Miko invited us for dinner. You coming?"
"No," Shenhe replied without hesitation.
She didn't know Yae Miko, and besides, she had her own plans. Lu Heng gave her a knowing look, as if he'd expected her answer, and sent a quick message.
A few minutes later, Furina arrived, practically bouncing with excitement.
"I'm here!" she announced.
Lu Heng turned to her. "Take Shenhe to dinner, will you? I've got a dinner to catch."
"Go on, go on," Furina said, waving him off. She turned to Shenhe. "I'm Lu Heng's main wife. Just call me Furina."
"Main wife?" Shenhe tilted her head, puzzled by the odd term. Did that mean there was a second wife?
"We'll talk about it later," Furina said. "For now, forget the shop and come with me to Fontaine for dinner. You like medicinal herbs, right?"
"Not just herbs," Shenhe clarified, shaking her head. "And I don't exactly love them."
She ate herbs for their medicinal benefits and because their bitterness helped train her resolve. But her resolve was strong enough now, and she wasn't planning to return to Mt. Aocang anytime soon. She wasn't picky anymore.
"Let's go," Furina said. "We'll figure out the menu when we get there." She glanced at Lu Heng. "When are you back tonight?"
"Before midnight, if all goes well," he replied.
"Alright."
Furina didn't say more and led Shenhe toward Fontaine. Meanwhile, Lu Heng headed out to his own appointment.
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T/N:
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